Why are car clubs coming to the Florida Keys to delay traffic?
For the second straight weekend, a group of car enthusiasts came to the Florida Keys in a pack and intentionally delayed traffic during the heavily traveled tourist season.
Two weekends ago, a group driving Lamborghinis and other high-dollar Italian sports cars were filmed blocking traffic in the northbound lane of U.S. 1 on the 18 Mile Stretch that leads out of Key Largo to Florida City.
Drivers positioned their cars for an impromptu photo shoot, with people getting out of the vehicles to pose for pictures. Meanwhile, a line of cars behind them got stuck in traffic trying to leave the island chain on its main highway.
This past weekend, a group acting similar was driving BMWs and Infinitis.
The other difference?
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office was called. Deputies issued tickets and arrested one man on cocaine possession Sunday.
That man, Christhofer Ordaz-Montesino, 19, of Miami, drove an Infiniti that was the lead car in the pack south from Card Sound Road onto U.S. 1. A deputy who received complaints about the group impeding traffic, taking photos and driving erratically stopped Ordaz-Montesino at mile marker 102., according to an arrest report.
Deputy Jean Gonzalez wrote in his report that Ordaz-Montesino was driving with his hazard lights on.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Sydney Whitehouse searched the car and found a wallet in the center console. Inside the wallet was a plastic bag containing cocaine, according to Gonzalez’s report.
Deputies also ran a check on the Infiniti, and records showed Ordaz-Montesino’s driver’s license had been suspended, according to the report.
On Monday, he was in county jail on Plantation Key with no bond information available.
Sheriff’s spokesman Adam Linhardt said the cars came to the Keys on Card Sound Road and slowed, but did not completely block traffic.
Keys Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a Facebook post that his deputies issued several tickets to drivers in the group.
This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 2:07 PM.
